Originally Posted by Adeptus_Minor (Post 493556)

Generally, if they're the kind of parent that produces a bully, they're not paying enough (or the right kind of) attention to the kid to begin with.

Originally Posted by fatbuckRTO (Post 493534)

Showmanship is not exactly the word I would use, although you will see karate, kung-fu, or TKD demonstrations that have more to do with gymnastics than actual fighting.

I say this as a loyal shotokan karateka: all other things being equal, a ground-trained fighter will win. Karate, kung-fu, and TKD all have some devastating techniques, absolutely. But I think you really only have to watch some of the early UFC matches, back when they really did include all styles and disciplines. Everyone lost to ground fighters. And it makes sense; for instance, there are very few people in the world who can punch someone into unconsciousness more easily than they can choke someone into unconsciousness.

Now if you start pitting grand masters and 10th dans against only moderately trained grapplers, then yeah, you'll probably see an advantage for the stand-up fighters. But I've never seen jiu jutsu matches for points. They train full speed, full power because they can. Most competitions won't do that with the strike/kick style martial arts, because a full power kick to the head could cause real permanent damage. So, like Tmall pointed out, you have people practicing over and over to score points, and that becomes your muscle memory.

By no means do I think that makes stand-up martial arts worthless. And you're definitely better off on your feet if you're fighting more than one person, as is often the case in a schoolyard.

Originally Posted by Homeslice (Post 493299)

Just curious what you mean by more effective?

Granted, TKD is rather "rigid" in its style, but its principles are sound.

For whatever martial art one person thinks is the best, someone's always going to trump it with something else. Personally, I say the quality of the teacher & the student body is more important than which martial art it is.

Originally Posted by Rider (Post 493539)

Sad story.

My son is 14 years old, 6' 2" 225lbs, knows tae kwon do (blue belt)and has wrestled for years. I'm not worried about anyone picking on him. He is pretty mild mannered now and I dont worry about him being a bully either though.

I do see bullies in his class however and it angers me that the parents of these kids turn a blind eye. Not so much physical bullies, but verbal abuse is very common. The schools in our area have a no bully pocilcy but it doesnt help at all. It has to be taught by the parents and they dont do that. :(

Originally Posted by Trip (Post 493871)

I have seen more stories about this than anything. Verbal abuse can be 1000x worse than physical and if your kid throws the first punch, then they are the ones booted from school.